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A contemporary Park Slope accent chair and a pair of plant stands from Stickley’s 125th anniversary limited-edition Floral Tile collection, available locally through Virginia Wayside Furniture (Photo courtesy Stickley Furniture)
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A tall-case clock by Gustav Stickley, circa 1903, on view at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
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Sideboard by Charles and Henry Greene, circa 1907-09, on view at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
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A tabouret stool from The Furniture Shop of the Roycrofters, circa 1906 (Photo courtesy Sotheby’s)
The American Arts and Crafts movement emerged in the late 19th century as British designers began to reform design and decor to improve society and protest the effects of the industrial revolution, which adherents believed had contributed to the decline in these areas. One art historian described the mass-produced items as displaying vulgarity in detail. The founders of the movement believed that the bond between an artist and their creations had been broken by industrialization, and they set out to restore that bond by placing emphasis on the value of the skill it took to create the items. The movement eventually spread to the rest of the British Empire and, by 1900, made its way to America.
Those who practiced the movement felt passionately that the artists and their work were connected, and this connection would make their pieces not only beautiful but also useful on a daily basis. Inspiration would come from local sources and traditions, and items would be simple in design.
The ideals that formed the movement spread throughout the country through journals and newspapers. Over time, the movement fell in line with the shift in the American standard of living. As larger cities became prosperous, life in rural areas declined and suburbs emerged. From there, people wanted to furnish their homes with items that reflected a lifestyle that they had never experienced. The movement died off around 1916, but its effects are still inspiring.
The Stickleys — Gustav and L. & J.G.
Gustav Stickley was a leading voice in the American Arts and Crafts movement. He combined the roles of designer, manufacturer, architect, publisher, philosopher and social critic. His furniture reflected his ideals of honesty in construction, simplicity, and truth to materials and was characterized by plain surfaces and exposed joinery. His brothers Leopold, Albert, Charles and John George also produced Arts and Crafts furniture through their firm, L. & J.G. Stickley. Though Stickley Furniture is no longer owned by the Stickley family, it continues to produce a variety of namesake furniture today, including many of Gustav Stickley’s original designs.
Greene & Greene
Brothers Charles and Henry Greene, who established their architectural firm in California in 1894, were among the few Craftsman-era architects who built and designed bungalow-inspired homes down to the last detail, including most of the furniture, textiles and fixtures. Their houses and large-scale bungalows — such as the much-acclaimed 1908 Gamble House in Pasadena — became prime examples of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Their designs featured tropical woods including teak, ebony and mahogany and the use of inlays of wood, metal and mother-of-pearl.
Roycroft
A community of craft workers and artists — including printers, furniture makers, metalsmiths, bookbinders and leathersmiths — founded by Elbert Hubbard in East Aurora, New York, Roycroft played a significant role in shaping the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States. Hubbard named his company after British printers Samuel and Thomas Roycroft because he believed that roycroft meant “kings craft” in French, alluding to guild craftsmen with the highest level of skill. The Roycroft community is now a National Historic Landmark and open to visitors.
